Race Recap: Moran CX
November is a great month for cyclocross – might even be the best month, and Moran Cross in CT, race #6 in the PMCX series brought a big contingent of NYC racers eager to keep the season going.
The Venue
Moran CX is a new race, presented by the Laurel Bicycle Club and Moran Middle School Cycling Team, and held on the school grounds in Wallingford CT. While last year’s first edition of the race was a sloppy mud fest, the bone dry conditions of this season continue into November making the second edition yet another dry, dusty, and fast race. The party village was packed with tents, announcing and dj, podium, and food trucks, with easy access to the race pit, porta-potties, and access to locker rooms and indoor bathrooms and locker rooms to change. The course was easy to view in most directions from the party village area, and viewing within the woods was very close by.
On Saturday before the race PMCX, Women on Wheels, and Radical Adventure Riders presented a free pre-race clinic with Rachel Rubino for women, non-binary, and juniors.
The Course
The course stages on pavement and runs uphill past the start/finish, with the holeshot turning into a series of grass turns through a ball field. This upper section connects to a lower ball field via a fast off camber descent disrupted by more turns and a set of barriers, before continuing to descend to a couple of big sweeping turns. Then a climb up past the tents and a short dip back down brings the riders to the main feature of Moran CX: the climb back up to the highest point of the course.
The climb ascends a wooded hillside with a series of turns to break it up. The surface was hard packed and dusty, with small rocks to pick through and the gradient gradually becoming steeper. The climb exits the woods and continues along the edge of a field before turning back into the woods to begin the loose and blown out descent. There were three tight and very dusty turns in the middle of the fast descent, and a short sand pit at the bottom. A brief paved climb brings the riders back up and past the tents and back to the start / finish. There was approximately 200ft of elevation per lap!
While some comments were overheard about this being a MTB course, we have 100% consensus that this was another most excellent cyclocross course in the best CT tradition. Be sure not to miss the Orchard Scorcher, presented by True Cyclery and New Haven Bicycling Club, on December 1, race #7 in the PMCX series. Here is a course preview.
The Race
Diane, Shane, Hannah, and James each raced throughout the day. Hannah finished her race in 4th place and reports:
“I had fun racing CX. The course was interesting and had lots of climbing and sustained pedaly sections. The start was uphill and took you to some bumpy turn-y sections. First lap I was a little anxious and took a few turns a little hot and at one point went right into a stake. Then there was a downhill that turned into an off camber that you went full tilt into. You were going so fast and the off camber was so slight that if you didn’t think about it, it was fine but it felt like you should think about it? Then the barriers, which were interesting: it was right out of a right turn which made it awkward to be leaning right and the quickly dismounting on the left. Then we get to the hill, hooooo’ dawg this was a massive hill. It felt like you just kept going and going and going. I appreciated that it was very CX bike friendly. Once you were done climbing the downhill had these three tight turns where it felt like there were no good lines (especially as the course got more and more blown out).
My race….got an okay start but the field was small enough where the start wasn’t make or break. Rachel Rubino was pacing us up the first climb and she and this fast junior looked so comfortable. Second lap I got gapped but was able to stay with Shane and then make progress towards Madi. After passing Madi I was in 3rd — which was so exciting after being last or next to last at so many races this year! I felt fitnessing the uphill was largely to attribute that to, but I think having a little more confidence and feeling like I’m “in” the race did a lot for my handling as well. I was in a battle with a small junior for the middle section of my race but noticed someone in the 1/2/3 field was closing a gap on me.
Finished 4th which was enough to make the wide podium and collect some $$. Very happy with how my race came together.“
CX, road, gravel, photography, and design IG @cjamesreeder
